- Tierra del Fuego Province (Argentina)
Geobox|Province
name = Tierra del Fuego Province
other_name = Provincia de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur
symbol_type = Coat of arms
symbol = Escudo COA Tierra del Fuego Province Argentina.svg
coordinates_type = adm1st
lat_d = |lat_m = |lat_NS = S
long_d = |long_m = |long_EW = W
part_type = Divisions
part = 4 departments
capital =Ushuaia
area = 21263
area1_type = Claimed
area1 = 1002445
area1_note = [Includes claims onAntarctica , theFalkland Islands , and other islands of the South Atlantic Ocean.]
population = 101079
population_as_of = 2001
population_density = 4.75
leader_type = Governor
leader =Fabiana Ríos
leader_party = ARI
leader2_type = Senators
leader2 =María Rosa Díaz ,José Carlos Martínez ,Jorge Colazo
free_type = Demonym
free = "fueguino"
iso_code = AR
iso_subcode = V
website = http://www.tierradelfuego.gov.arTierra del Fuego (officially Provincia de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur) is an Argentine
province entirely separated from mainland Argentina by theStrait of Magellan . It includes:
* The eastern part of the "Isla Grande" ofTierra del Fuego (the western part is theChile an province of Tierra del Fuego).
* Argentina's claims to theFalkland Islands (under their Spanish-language name, "Malvinas") and toSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ; these are governed by theUnited Kingdom asBritish overseas territories .
* Argentina's claims to Antarctica. All claims toAntarctica are effectively subject to theAntarctic Treaty and without wide international recognition. Argentina's claim overlaps with both the British claim and the Chilean claim.History
The youngest of the Argentine provinces was first inhabited around 12,000 years ago. When the first Europeans arrived, they encountered a population of about 10,000 indigenous people belonging to four tribes:
Yamana ,Alakaluf ,Selk'nam andManek'enk (Haush ). [ [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Tierra_Del_Fuego Tierra Del Fuego] ] Within fifty years after discovery, only about 350 natives remained due to the diseases such assmallpox andmeasles that had ravaged these tribes. [ [http://www.cs.org/publications/csq/csq-article.cfm?id=236 Yahgan & Ona - The Road to Extinction] ] [ [http://www.oni.escuelas.edu.ar/olimpi99/interolimpicos/patagonia1921/tehuel2.htm "La Patagonia Trágica"] ] The provincial capital city isUshuaia , from a native word meaning "bay towards the end".The territory was "discovered" in 1520 by the expedition of Ferdinand Magellan, who named the place first Land of Smokes and later Land of Fire, as he saw what were probably the fires produced by the local aborigines for heat.
Juan de Alderete in 1555 and later Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa intended to found settlements in the area, but the inclemency of the weather and the constant attacks of British
pirate s, who took Sarmiento de Gamboa prisoner, frustrated their ambitions. Fact|date=May 2008Spanish, Dutch, British and French explorers ventured on
Tierra del Fuego island and the nearby seas. Gabriel de Castilla passed through before discoveringAntarctica , whileRobert FitzRoy , andCharles Darwin explored this land and other parts ofPatagonia .In 1828 Argentina established a penal colony at "Puerto Luis" on the
Falkland Islands , but in 1833 the British sent a naval task force to request that the Argentine representative of the islands, José María Pinedo, and Argentine forces leave the islands.Luis Piedrabuena installed a base in "San Juan de Salvamento" onIsla de los Estados island. The British Patagonia Mission, under its superintendent Waite Stirling, foundedUshuaia as an Anglican mission in 1869, [Bridges, E L (1948) "The Uttermost Part of the Earth" Republished 2008, Overlook Press ISBN 978-1585679560 ] and shortly thereafter Salesian missionaries founded Río Grande.In the 1880s the Argentine government took a more active interest in Tierra del Fuego. In 1881, the meridian 68°36'38 W was defined as the boundary between the
Chile an and the Argentine sides of the island. In 1884 the "Government of Tierra del Fuego" was created, and a subprefecture was established at Ushuaia.The southern part of the
Beagle Channel was an issue of conflict between both states, specially regarding three small islands,Picton, Lennox and Nueva , which were given to Chile by decision of the mediatingBritish Crown in 1977, revised byPope John Paul II and ratified by treaty in 1985.When the crews of sailing-ships told of the notoriously dangerous voyage round the tip of South America, Tierra del Fuego became a byword in Europe for an inhospitable land, where life would be impossibly harsh for settlers. In reality however, it is by no means the most sparsely populated province of Argentina, as Europeans often assume. Its population density of 4.75/ km² is in fact higher than five other provinces, due to various waves of immigration. Gold fever started in Tierra del Fuego around 1883. Many
Croatia ns from theDalmatia n coast arrived in search of gold. The rush for gold brought with it some progress such as the telegraph in addition to a wave of immigrants. Although by 1910 the gold fever had died along with the exhaustion of the precious metal's sources, most of the pioneers stayed. The inauspicious-looking northern plains proved to be ideal sheep-farming territory, and vast latifundias sprang up. Croatian, Scottish, Basque, Italian, Galician and Chilean immigrants arrived to work on the estancias and build up their own landholdingsWith the creation of the "Gobernación Marítima de Tierra del Fuego" in 1943, construction of naval bases began in Ushuaia and Río Grande, as well as an airport and other infrastructure. This brought a significant number of immigrants from Argentina and other countries.
It was not until 1990 that the "Territorio Nacional de la Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur" was declared a province, and receiving its first governor two years later.
As a result of killings and disease, by 1920 the Amerindian population of the island had dropped to only 200. Word of the atrocities reached the Federal Congress, in Buenos Aires, which tried to help the Salesian mission, the only institution working in the island to protect them.Fact|date=March 2008
Geography and climate
The province can be geographically divided into 3 distinct areas: the
Tierra del Fuego islands, theArgentine Antarctica , and the Islands of the South Atlantic.Tierra del Fuego Island
:"See also
Tierra del Fuego "There are low mountains and sandy beaches at the north of the island, ascending to the south. The north is somewhat similar to the steppe of the Santa Cruz Province. In the middle of the island, the end of theAndes mountain system runs horizontally, and its highest peak, Mount Cornú, rises only 1,490 meters. There are a number of short rivers ("Grande", "Moneta", "Ona ", "Lasifashaj", etc.), and due to the low temperature, there are many small glaciers that descend towards the sea. The annual average temperature of the island is 5.3 °C, with precipitation of 300 mm in the north and 550 mm in the south.Argentine Antarctica
:"See also
Argentine Antarctica "The part of
Antarctica claimed by Argentina is formed by the Palmer Land and the Weddell Sea, of which half remains frozen all year round. The highest peak of this section of the continent is , at 3360 meters. The weather is normally cold and windy.Islands of the South Atlantic
Most of the islands of the Southern Atlantic present a more humid climate, except for the
Falkland Islands . For instance, the "Año Nuevo" andIsla de los Estados islands have a dense vegetation of low forests of lenga and ñire.The Falklands are covered in moorland, which receive less precipitation than other islands closer to the continent, and is constantly swept by strong winds. The
South Orkney Islands ,South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are also considered to be part of the South Atlantic Islands, and they are colder than the others, because they are so far from continental land masses.Economy
Tierra del Fuego has, since the 1970s, benefited from government subsidies to local industry and its natural wealth, alike. Its estimated 2006 output of US$2.6 billion gave the province a per capita income of US$25,700, second only in Argentina to the city of
Buenos Aires itself and almost three times the national average. [ [http://www.iader.org.ar/ I.A.D.E.R ] ]Manufacturing, despite the province's remoteness, contributes about 20% to output owing partly to generous certain tax incentives to local industry, a policy Buenos Aires has pursued to encourage immigration to less populated areas. A number of sizable factories have opened on Tierra del Fuego Island to take advantage of the tax benefits legislated in 1972, mainly home appliance and electronics makers.
Recently, in the city of Río Grande, many international and Argentine companies, most notably the Korean company
Samsung and the Argentine companyTeltron , have installed factories that produce high-definition televisions (HDTV), mass production ofCD-ROM -related articles, and low-costGSM cell phones built mainly from Argentine components.Sheep ranching, the province's leading source of its modest agricultural income (5% of output), still serves as an important source of wool, mutton and hides throughout the province and the wider Argentine market, whose taste for these products has been growing strongly.Like its neighbors in
patagonia to the north,petroleum andnatural gas extraction contributes generously to Tierra del Fuego's economy, lately over 20% to total output. Exploration efforts continue, not only along the island's shores themselves; but, also near theFalkland Islands , whose surrounding waters to 200 miles are still under some amount of dispute between Argentina and theUnited Kingdom . The same issue has intruded onto the area's lucrative crab and shrimp fishing industry, as well.Tourism is gaining importance on Tierra del Fuego island, and the region offers mountains, glaciers, forests, fast rivers, waterfalls, a ski centre, and the sea, all within short distances. Both
Jules Verne and Darwin were fascinated by the beauties of the island.The most visited destinations include Ushuaia, the
Tierra del Fuego National Park and the "Tren del Fin del Mundo ",Fagnano Lake , "Museum of the End of the World", theBeagle Channel ,"Les Eclaireurs" lighthouse, the old jail, and theIsla de los Estados .The Argentine Antarctic started receiving tourists a short time ago. Tourists can see wildlife at the Argentine
Marambio Base during the summer.The Falkland Islands gained notoriety after the Falkland War and a modest volume of tourists venture to the islands. Argentine nationals have been free to do so again since the 1989 restoration of diplomatic relations between the two former adversaries.
Political division
The province is divided in 4 departments (Spanish: "departamentos"), only the first two of which are under the effective control of Argentina:
# Ushuaia (capital
Ushuaia )
# Río Grande (capital Río Grande)
#Antártida Argentina : the Argentine claim to Antarctica, which lies between 25°W and 74°W (overlapping both Chilean and British claims) and which is uninhabited apart from staff of scientific bases. Being south of 60°S, the Argentine claim to the entire department is suspended under theAntarctic Treaty . TheSouth Orkney Islands andSouth Shetland Islands , which also lie south of 60°S, are considered by Argentina to be part of the department ofIslas del Atlántico Sur .
# Islas del Atlántico Sur: consists of the Argentine claim to theFalkland Islands ("Malvinas" in Spanish) andSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands , both of which are governed by the United Kingdom as British Overseas territories. The department also includes theSouth Orkney Islands andSouth Shetland Islands , though they lie south of 60°S and thus the Argentine claim is suspended under theAntarctic Treaty .ee also
.
*Tierra del Fuego Island
*Tierra del Fuego Province, Chile
*Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1984 between Chile and Argentina References
External links
* [http://www.tierradelfuego.gov.ar/ Tierra del Fuego provincial government homepage] es icon
* [http://www.tierradelfuego.org.ar/ Tierra del Fuego tourist information] en icon es icon
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